Overview

Deep in the beautiful mountain scenery of North Wales, YHA Snowdon Llanberis is located on the doorstep of Snowdonia National Park and is a ten minute walk from Llanberis High Street. From the hostel you can walk up Snowdon. Alternatively, from the village you can catch a train up to the top of Snowdon or along Llyn Padarn, explore the history of the region at the Slate Museum, or visit Electric Mountain.

YHA Snowdon Llanberis is an ideal base for families, individuals and groups of walkers, cyclists and climbers who want easy access to the fantastic mountain trails, rivers, lakes and attractions of Snowdonia. We've recently given a fabulous makeover to many areas of the hostel, so we're now more inviting and comfortable than ever.

Accommodation

The Hostel

The Youth Hostel has a lounge, classroom, dining room and self-catering kitchen. The hostel has really been spruced up recently and our renovated communal areas have never looked better - we've refurbished reception, dining and lounge areas and added new furniture and flooring. Guests can now connect to the Wi-Fi in communal areas too.

We have 50 beds in both private and dorm rooms which are arranged as follows:

Camping Pods

YHA Snowdon Llanberis is now home to two large camping pods. If you like camping but you could do without the sun, wind or rain then this is the holiday for you! These camping pods make for a great family break and they have space for up to four people to sleep in - including one double futon and twin single beds. Mattresses, futons and all bedding are included for your comfort. Each pod has its own individual decking area.

Hire the whole place

This hostel is occasionally made available for hire on an exclusive basis. This means that you can have the place to yourself and choose how many of your friends, family, club mates, etc., join you. We allocate availability for exclusive use in blocks, typically up to 90 days in the future. If you are looking for space to stay with us on a normal shared basis, and can’t see any availability three months or more into the future, then this hostel may be being held for Exclusive Hire. You can check availability for
Exclusive Hire on our dedicated website, or use our live chat service for more information.

Activities

Walking & Rambling

Located at the foot of Snowdon, you can walk the Llanberis path straight from the hostel. There's also easy access to other Snowdon routes, the Glyders and lots more spectacular high level walks. For low level walks visit the Padarn Lake and Country Park, or explore the history of the slate industry on marked paths through the quarries.

Mountain Biking

The hostel is a short drive from the Forestry Commission's Marin Trail with its challenging ascents and technical descents - best for experienced mountain bikers. The track along the shores of Lake Padarn is great for a family day out and bike hire is available locally.

Cycling

The hostel is close to several Sustrans cycle network routes and other spectacular road routes, either through the hills or along the flatter coastal roads, all within breathtaking scenery.

Climbing

Surrounded by some of the best climbing in Britain, there's plenty of choice with single pitch and multi pitch routes, bouldering problems and a variety of rock types to suit all levels. Instructor led courses for beginners are available locally. If the weather is uninviting there's an excellent indoor wall nearby.

Watersports

Try canoeing on Lake Padarn for truly spectacular surroundings. If you haven't got your own gear, you can hire on the lake shore. The hostel is only 10 miles from the National Water Sports Centre for Wales at Plas Menai, where you can try your hand at a variety of water sports from sailing and windsurfing to sea kayaking.

Reviews

Food & Drink

Breakfast

YHA Snowdon Llanberis offers a hot full English breakfast and cold continental buffet with a selection of hot drinks and fruit juices. Breakfast is served from 7.30am until 9.00am. Breakfast is now available at 10% off - ONLY WHEN PRE-BOOKED. Simply add it to your basket at check out to save!

Lunch

We can provide a packed lunch including a freshly prepared sandwich, a delicious cake, cereal bar, a bottle of mineral water, a packet of crisps and a piece of fresh fruit. Eat in the hostel or take your packed lunch with you to enjoy during your day of exploring.

Evening Meals:

Supper Club

This hostel offers the YHA Supper Club menu. This is an evening meal served at a set time and sold at a set price. Guests in the Youth Hostel will have the opportunity to all sit around the table together and share stories with their fellow travellers - this is the authentic hostelling experience! We serve at 7pm.

Self-Catering Facilities

We provide all utensils and pots and pans plus we have a well-equipped self-catering kitchen with two ovens with hobs, two microwaves, two kettles and two fridges. Unfortunately we do not have a freezer so please refrain from bringing frozen goods with you.

1. Choose Dates & Guests

Admissions Policy:
Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult (aged 18 or over).
Children under 11 are welcome at YHA but can only stay in private or family rooms or in our camping and cabins products.
Children aged between 11 and 16 can stay in dorm rooms as long as they are accompanied by an adult of the same gender.

We are no longer taking bookings for customers wishing to arrive today. Please select alternative dates or location.

Availability Calendar

Can't find a bed on your preferred date? Try choosing a different room type from the selection box above. Alternatively please call us on 0800 0191 700
or +44 (0) 1629 592 700.
Members of YHA or Hostelling International are entitled to a discount of up to £3/night off the prices quoted above for bookings at YHA operated properties. Member discounts are redeemable at the checkout stage of your online booking. Family room prices are only available if your booking contains at least one adult and one child under 18.

Need to Know

Reception Times

Check-in

17.00 - 22.00

Check-out

Before 10.00

Open Every Day?

From 1st March to 31st October YHA Snowdon Llanberis is open during weekends and school holidays for families and individual travellers. From Monday - Thursday the hostel is open for group bookings. From 1st November until 28th February YHA Snowdon Llanberis is open for group bookings and YHA Exclusive Hire. Beds and rooms may become available three months prior to the travelling date so please check the website for more information.

Towels and toiletries

Hand soap is provided next to all sinks. Towels are not supplied as standard but can be rented or purchased from reception. Bedding is supplied in all rooms.

Parking

Parking for 15 cars on site.

Pets

Pets are not permitted at YHA Snowdon Llanberis. Assistance dogs are welcome.

YHA Exclusive Hire

Want to rent the whole property to yourself? YHA Snowdon Llanberis is available as an Exclusive Hire property from the autumn half term to the Easter holidays. Please visit our YHA Exclusive Hire website for more information.

YHA School Trips

YHA Snowdon Llanberis is the perfect base for an outdoors adventure for students and teachers alike, with opportunities for mountain biking, climbing and walking in the Snowdon area. The hostel has beds for up to 50 people, classroom facilities and fresh meals.

Volunteering

We are very grateful for all of the help and support that our generous volunteers give to YHA. We are proud of our “Investors in Volunteering” accreditation and have a wide range of opportunities available across the country, all of which will provide great learning or social experiences and help us to create even more opportunities for young people.

Volunteering is a great way to meet people, visit new places, gain experiences and have fun. Full details of all of our various volunteering programmes can be found on the Volunteering website.

At YHA Llanberis we offer the following volunteering opportunities subject to availability:

History

There has been a Youth Hostel in Llanberis since 1933. The first hostel was Glyn Padarn, situated on the south shore of Llyn Padarn, to the west of Llanberis. At first there were beds for 16 men and 16 women. In 1933, Mrs Munro was warden and provided meals, though in keeping with YHA practice at the time, hostellers had to bring their own knife, fork, spoon and dishes.

A new self-catering room was added in 1937. In 1938 there were structural improvements and the number of blankets was increased to three per bed.

In 1940, on the outbreak of war, Glyn Padarn was taken over for government purposes and lost permanently to the RAF.

The Rucksack Magazine announced that Llanberis’ replacement hostel would open Easter 1940. Llwyn Celyn was an old stone house standing on the lower flanks of Snowdon, over a mile from the original. At first it had just 40 beds. The hostel immediately proved popular, but was almost lost to the army in 1941, as military activity surrounded the hostel.

In 1948 the capacity increased to 46 beds (26 for men, 20 for women), with five emergency beds, a common practice then.

Following frustrations in developing a new hostel at Pen-y-Gwryd (subsequently, Pen-y-Pass Hostel), the Region decided to designate the new Llwyn Celyn as the PJ Clarke Memorial Hostel. The conversion work of Llwyn Celyn, Llanberis was started in the Spring of 1967, and continued throughout the winter months, during which time the hostel was closed.

The official opening took place on Saturday 27th July 1968. The opening ceremony was to have been performed by Lord Hunt but, owing to the Biafran crisis, he had to withdraw at a late date. Sir Michael Duff of Vaynol opened the hostel in place of Lord Hunt. He was presented with the gold-plated key that he used, inscribed with the YHA symbol. A memorial plaque was unveiled and followed by the planting of six trees in the grounds.

The original 60 beds soon became 70. The capacity stayed at this level until the mid-1990s, when some of the larger dormitories were replaced by smaller rooms better suited to families and small groups. The numbers were reduced to 60 in 2000, 56 in 2003 and finally 50 in 2007. The hostel also benefitted from a refresh project in 2015, so we're even more inviting to customers.

Meet the Team

Both the Manager and the Duty Manager are keen hill walkers and travellers who enjoy walking the coast and visiting the beaches of Anglesey and the Llyn Peninsular, as well as the mountains of Snowdonia.

Manager recommends: Take the fascinating walk along the marked paths through the old slate quarry, past old mining machinery and buildings. You will sense the history of the industry that used to dominate this region while taking in the breathtaking views across the valley towards Snowdon - there's so much to see on a walking holiday in the area. Originally an old quarrymaster’s house, YHA Snowdon Llanberis is ideal for seaside breaks, school trips and activity breaks, with stunning views of Snowdon Summit, the surrounding mountains and Padarn Lake and Country Park.

Access Statement

At YHA Snowdon Llanberis we strive to cater for everybody. Unfortunately, none of our bedrooms or washrooms is accessible to modern standards.

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